UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES

 

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

REMINDER! 2022 WHITE HOUSE TRIBAL NATIONS SUMMIT ANNOUNCEMENT

The President will host the next White House Tribal Nations Summit on November 30 and December 1 at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Since taking office, the President has prioritized strengthening Nation-to-Nation relationships, honoring trust and treaty obligations with federally recognized Tribes and advancing Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Through the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Administration is also making historic investments in Tribal communities. Building on the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, this year’s Summit will be an opportunity for Tribal leaders to engage directly with senior administration officials on implementation of these key priorities, new policies, and other important issues facing Tribal communities. Read the statement here.

 

REMINDER! Limited Stipends Available for the 2022 WHITE HOUSE TRIBAL NATIONS SUMMIT

Greetings Fellow Sovereignty Protectors and Justice Advocates,

In partnership with Native Americans in Philanthropy (NAP) as our funder, we are pleased to announce that the USET SPF is leading the coordination and management of providing a limited number of stipend payments to support Tribal Leaders from across Indian Country who want to attend the White House Tribal Nations Summit (WHTNS). To qualify, individuals must (1) self-attest a financial need, (2) be a representative of a federally recognized Tribal Nation, and (3) have been accepted by the White House as the Designated Attendee for their federally recognized Tribal Nation.

Stipends in the amount of $2,500 will be made available on a first come, first served basis, until funds are exhausted. Stipends will be paid directly to the federally recognized Tribal Nation. Please see the link below to complete the stipend request form. Click Here for Stipend Request Form

 

REMINDER! EPA Seeks Feedback on Inflation Reduction Act Programs

Comments are due by January 18, 2023. In addition, the agency will conduct extensive public engagement as it works to implement the law.

EPA has announced initial public engagement and input opportunities for a subset of new and existing programs funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. These programs, which include funding for air quality and climate projects addressing clean energy, transportation, methane emissions, and climate super-pollutants, will advance the President’s bold agenda to combat the climate crisis, protect public health and advance environmental justice. 

EPA’s engagement strategy for these programs includes:

  • Request for Information (RFI): Issuing a request for public input to inform program design;
  • Expert Input: Soliciting expert input on key program design questions from EPA’s Federal Advisory Committees including the Local Government Advisory Committee, Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, and the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee;
  • Listening Sessions: Launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders including environmental justice communities, state and local governments, clean energy advocates, labor, and others to provide input directly to EPA staff; and
  • New Webpage: Creating a one-stop shop for information on the implementation of Inflation Reduction Act programs managed by EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

EPA has published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on six public dockets that correspond to Inflation Reduction Act provisions in the law.

Public Encouraged to Review and Comment in Six Public Dockets

 

NEW! EPA Webinar: Sensor Pods for Volatile Organic Compound Fenceline Monitoring and Data Analysis

Thursday, December 1, 2022, | 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET | Register Here

            This webinar will review progress from EPA SPod prototypes to commercially available versions with example field applications. We will describe the best use practices for the SPod, as well as EPA’s SPod set up and operation procedures. We will discuss development of an EPA software system called the Sensor Network Intelligent Emissions Locator (SENTINEL). This open-source analysis tool will help users transform SPod fence line sensor data into quality assured and easily visualized emission source information. Lastly, we outline emerging partnerships with EPA Region 4 (Southeast) and others that will help make these NGEM systems available to various groups.

 

University of Oregon Webinar Series: Addressing Equity and Environmental Justice in the Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy

  1. Considering Equity in Wildfire Risk and Protection Thurs. Dec. 1, 10am PDT —– REGISTER: https://bit.ly/3dWM1Lw
  • Webinar #4 in the Equity in Environmental Justice Series This webinar will summarize recent research examining the equity implications of rising wildfire risk and associated costs, including insurance coverage and the comparative costs for risk management activities in populations with different incomes.
  • Presented by: Matthew R. Auer; The University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs

 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) FY2022 Appropriations

To View Report, Click Here.

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.

 

NC Radon Program Social Media Toolkit

The NC Radon Program has created a free Radon Social Media Toolkit for your use. The materials are in both English and Spanish. All the materials are in a Google Docs folder. To access this social media toolkit folder

 

EPA’s Community and Tribal Programs Group has a publicly facing Tribal Actions and Events calendar for all to use!

This calendar is also linked under the “Tribal Air and Climate Resources” webpage under the “Policy and Planning” heading available at https://www.epa.gov/tribal-air. The purpose of the calendar is to ensure that our Tribal partners are kept apprised of EPA activities that are relevant to them. If you have any questions about the calendars or any recommendations on how EPA can improve upon the calendars, please do not hesitate to reach out to Loren Fox (fox.loren@epa.gov) with any feedback.

 

New Air Knowledge E–Learning Content

The Air Knowledge training team is pleased to announce the availability of new air quality training materials!

These e-learning courses and modules are at the foundational learning level and are available to Tribal, state, and local air agencies through our learning management system (LMS) and to the public here. The website was recently enhanced to provide additional self-instructional and instructor-led training materials.

The new materials include:

  • A course that explains the key historic events that led to air pollution control legislation and describes progress made with air pollution control since the passage of the Clean Air Act,
  • A course that explains the basic components of state and Tribal implementation plans,
  • A module that generally defines the transport and fate of air pollutants and how transport and fate are influenced by meteorology and topography,
  • A module that explains the basic aspects of an air emissions inventory, and
  • A module that explains the purposes and types of air emissions inventories, including the inventories that the EPA develops.

More detailed information about the contents of these new materials can be found in the attached document.

To access the courses and modules on the LMS (https://epaapti.csod.com), Tribal air agencies and organizations can register, log in, and refer to the “What’s New” section on the home page. All other users (the public, international community, academia, industry, EPA staff, etc.) can access the courses and modules on the Air Knowledge interim website.

 

NTAA Upcoming Calls

Contact Carolyn.Kelly@nau.edu if you have any questions about any call! *Registration instructions for NTAA webinars* When you register for GoToWebinar, please remember to include your Tribe, Region, or Organization in parenthesis after your last name. This allows you to see everyone on the call and prevents us from conducting a rollcall, ultimately saving time. For other NTAA calls, NTAA will be transitioning to Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent with calendar invites for future NTAA work group calls.

 

Woodsmoke Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in woodsmoke issues in Tribal communities. Contact Carolyn.Kelly@nau.edu to join the call! Thursday,

January 5,

10 am AK or 2 pm ET
Mobile Sources Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in mobile source issues in Tribal communities. Contact Carolyn.Kelly@nau.edu to join the call! Thursday, December 1,

10 am AK or 2 pm ET
Alaska Air Work Group: Join this work group to hear updates from EPA and Alaskans working on air quality. Contact Carolyn.Kelly@nau.edu to join the call! November 30,

10 am AK or 2 pm ET (tentative)
NTAA / EPA Air Policy Update Call: Join this monthly meeting to hear updates from EPA on important air quality and climate policy updates as well as updates around the country related to Tribal Air Programs. Calls are usually on the last Thursday of every month unless it falls on a national holiday. Contact Carolyn.Kelly@nau.edu to join the call! Thursday, January 26, 10 am AK or 2 pm ET
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in indoor air quality in Tribal homes and other buildings. Carolyn.Kelly@nau.edu to join the call! Thursday, December 15, 10 am AK or 2 pm ET

 

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professional (ITEP)

Click Here for ITEP’s new Tribal Environmental Management and Planning Online Courses. Sign up for a self-paced course hosted by ITEP’s Waste and Response and Tribal Air Quality programs.  New courses have been added, so check it out!

 

ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program (AIAQTP) hosts the Building Performance: Improving IAQ in Cold Climates, Residential Building Science Review, Radon Fundamentals, Quality Assurance Fundamental, Writing a Quality Assurance Project Plan, Emissions Inventory Fundamentals, and Emissions Inventory Advanced.

AIAQTP Schedule and Registration 

 

Recorded Webinars

Looking for more information check out the Tribal Air Quality Media Space Channel. Recent webinars include an Introduction to Air Quality Programs, Emissions Inventories, Remote Professional Assistance, and Woodstoves in Indian Country. Older classics include a series on Air Quality Planning for Wildland Smoke, Tribal Air Program and Grants, Data Management, and the Clean Air Act.

ITEP’s Tribes and Climate Change Calendar includes conferences, trainings, webinars, and other events related to Tribes and climate change.

 

EPA Tools and Resources Webinar Series

Click here to see all past and upcoming webinars hosted by the EPA.

 

Climate Change / Energy

RFI EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants – $5 billion

Deadline: January 18, 2023

This RFI is for a program to help eligible entities to help plan and implement climate pollution reduction strategies. Click here for more information.

 

REMINDER! U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Webinar: 2022 Tribal Energy Webinar Series: Tribes Leading the Way to a More Sustainable Energy Future

December 7, 2022, | 11:00 AM – 1:00 Pm MST | Register Here

Hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy, the 2022 Tribal Energy Webinar Series will focus on how Tribes can position themselves to participate in the energy transition to the benefit of their communities and future generations. Tribes have been working toward a more sustainable future for many years. This webinar will highlight projects across Indian Country and rural Alaska that demonstrate successful steps toward a cleaner energy future.

 

Toxics/Mobile Sources

REMINDER! EPA Announcing IRA Clean Ports Funding Listening Sessions

IRA Clean Ports Funding Listening Session #1 | December 6, 2022, | 1:00 – 3:00 PM ET | Register Here

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) provides EPA with $3 billion to fund zero-emission port equipment and technology and to help ports develop climate action plans to reduce air pollutants at U.S. ports. This new funding program will build on EPA’s Ports Initiative that the Agency established to ensure that our nation’s ports, a critical part of our infrastructure and supply chain, help address public health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities. See below for legislative text enabling this historic funding program:

This session will begin with a brief overview of the legislation and conclude with an interactive listening session. We encourage all to attend, whether you work at a port, work with near-port communities, or simply are interested in helping ports transition to zero-emissions. Please come prepared to share your feedback on the program, including:

 

  1. What types of zero-emission port technologies or related planning support do you see as most critical for delivering emissions reductions?
  2. What do you see as the biggest hurdles to transitioning to zero-emission port equipment?
  3. How do you see this program complementing other available funding programs (e.g., at EPA, other federal or state programs) that can support efforts to reduce emissions at ports?
  4. How would you like to see funding for zero-emission port technology, related planning and permitting, and development of climate action plans work together? Should the funding opportunities be sequenced or combined?
  5. How can we help ensure this program addresses concerns of near-port communities and advances environmental justice?

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.epa.gov/ports-initiative

If you have any questions or feedback, please email: cleanports@epa.gov

 

Indoor Air Quality

New! Notice of Intent – DOE Grants for Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities – $80 million

Deadline: To be determined Eligible Entities: Consortium of One Local Education Agency and one or more Schools, Non-Profits, For-Profits, and Community Partners

This funding is the first tranche of funding in a $500 million investment, to make clean energy improvements in K-12 public schools. Funds will empower school districts to make upgrades that will lower facilities’ energy costs and improve student learning environments.

 

REMINDER! EPA Seeks Information to Support Indoor Air Quality Management Improvements to Reduce Disease Transmission and Improve Public Health

Comments must be submitted by December 5, 2022.

Building upon the Biden-Harris Administration’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, a key component of the President’s National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking public comment to inform efforts by EPA and others to support the widespread adoption of actions that lead to improvements in indoor air quality in the nation’s building stock, with a particular emphasis on schools and commercial buildings, to help reduce disease transmission indoors and improve public health. For more information, see FR Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0794

 

Available Now: An Introduction to Radon Gas in Homes Webinar Recording

EPA’s Indoor Environments Division recently hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the key basic facts of radon – what it is, what it does to us, how we measure it, how we reduce our exposure, and where to find resources and additional information. A recording of An Introduction to Radon Gas in Homes is now available online. The recorded webinar features a presentation by Bruce Snead, Director of Engineering Extension at Kansas State University, and director of the National Radon Program Services effort for EPA since 2009.

 

EPA: A Fact Sheet for Tribes on State and Tribal Indoor Radon Grants

EPA’s Indoor Environments Division is pleased to announce the State and Tribal Indoor Radon Grants (SIRG) Program Fact Sheet. This fact sheet has information on SIRG eligibility, matching requirements, allowable activities, EPA contacts, and more. EPA works collaboratively and values our Tribal partnership to support healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) in Tribal communities. We work together to develop tools and resources that address the health and the safety of Tribal members when it comes to indoor air quality.

Please visit the Indoor Air Quality in Tribal Communities or State Indoor Radon Grants (SIRG) Program and Resources pages to learn more and download the fact sheet.

 

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